The California Courier Online, July 22, 2021
1 – Greece Must Recognize Artsakh
to Atone For its Envoy’s PR Tour of Shushi
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Constitutional Court Upholds Armenian Election
3 – GALAS-LA to Host Inaugural ‘Queernissage’:
Armenian Outdoor Market Featuring LGBTQ+ Vendors, Allies
4- Narine Avakian Honors Homeland with Artistic Tribute to
Dadivank Monastery
5- Lark Establishes Endowment Fund
With $280,000 Donation from Onnik and Kristine Keshishian
6- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
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1 – Greece Must Recognize Artsakh
to Atone For its Envoy’s PR Tour of Shushi
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
A scandalous propaganda tour was organized on July 9-10, 2021 by
Azerbaijan’s despotic government to occupied Shushi and Hadrut to
display “proudly” to foreign ambassadors its barbaric attack on the
civilian population of Artsakh and partial destruction of one of its
most sacred Armenian cathedrals.
Before I present the list of ambassadors of countries that exposed
their hostility to Armenia by participating in this tour, it is
important to note that the ambassadors of France, Russia, and the
United States, who are members of the Minsk Group of mediators of the
Artsakh conflict, refused to take part in this charade to the chagrin
of the Azeri government. The Minsk Group thus indicated that it had no
interest in Azerbaijan’s pompous show of its occupation of parts of
Artsakh. Contrary to the repeated statements of Pres. Ilham Aliyev of
Azerbaijan, the Minsk Group still considers the status of Artsakh not
resolved. The absence of these three major countries from this
propaganda tour is a slap in the face of the Azeri government.
The 46 countries that shamelessly participated in this scandalous tour
of the city of Shushi are: Afghanistan, Algeria, Austria, Belarus,
Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Estonia,
Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan,
Kazakhstan, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the
Netherlands, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi
Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland,
Tajikistan, Turkey, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela. There are 63 foreign
embassies in Azerbaijan, which means that 17 ambassadors refused to
participate in the propaganda tour, including Argentina, Cuba, Egypt,
Germany, Great Britain, and India, in addition to France, Russia and
the United States. The countries that took part in the Azeri tour
should be severely criticized and condemned by all Armenians.
Furthermore, the Armenian communities who live in these countries
should express their strong disapproval. Demonstrations must be
organized in front of the embassies of those countries in Yerevan and
protest letters sent to their respective governments.
Of course, the most shameful participant in this tour is the
ambassador of Greece, a country that is supposed to be a friend of
Armenia. In addition to betraying Armenia, Greece violated its own
interests and principles by taking part in this scandalous tour. The
Greek ambassador must have forgotten that during the height of the
Artsakh war last year, the Foreign Minister of Greece visited Yerevan
to show his country’s solidarity with Armenia. He also forgot the
insulting and undiplomatic words Pres. Aliyev used to address him
during the presentation of his credentials in Baku.
I am pleased that the Greek media and Armenian community of Greece
responded harshly to the country’s ambassador’s disastrous visit to
Shushi and called on the Greek Foreign Minister to appear in
Parliament to provide an explanation. It is not known if the Greek
ambassador in Baku obtained the approval of his government prior to
his tour of Shushi. If he did, that makes it an even bigger scandal.
However, if the Greek Ambassador had not secured his country’s
approval prior to his visit to Shushi, which is unlikely, then he
should be immediately fired!
Rather than showing gratitude to Greece, Azerbaijan disrespected its
submissive action by sending its first parliamentary delegation to the
Turkish-occupied so-called Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized
only by Turkey. There are reports that Azerbaijan may soon recognize
the statehood of Northern Cyprus. If that happens, Greece should
immediately dispatch its ambassador in Yerevan to Stepanakert, the
capital of Artsakh, and announce its recognition of the Republic of
Artsakh. This would be the only way that Greece can atone for its
envoy’s indiscretion and deliver a proper response to Azerbaijan’s
recognition of Northern Cyprus.
In addition to the Armenian National Committee of Greece’s complaint,
the ANC’s of Belgium and the Netherlands filed similar complaints with
their respective governments. Protests should also be made to the
other participating countries, particularly the governments of
Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,
Italy, Jordan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Qatar, Romania,
Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, Ukraine and Venezuela.
I am pleased that the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Artsakh issued
statements condemning the visit of the foreign ambassadors in Baku to
Shushi: “The Republic of Armenia considers utterly unacceptable the
visit of diplomatic representatives accredited in Azerbaijan to the
occupied territories of Artsakh, including Hadrut and the historical
center of Artsakh — Shushi, regions which were ethnically cleansed
and their population was the subject of war crimes and other mass
atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces during the recent
aggression.” It was emphasized that by arranging such events “the
Azerbaijani authorities are trying to legitimize the aggression
against the people of Artsakh and to strengthen their own claims of
having resolved the conflict by force,” stated the Armenian Foreign
Ministry which also handed these ambassadors a “note verbale” or a
note of protest addressed to their governments.
Rather than visiting the occupied territories of Artsakh, the foreign
ambassadors in Baku should have issued a joint statement condemning
Azerbaijan for importing Syrian terrorists to fight in the Artsakh
war, committing war crimes, ethnic cleansing, destruction of Armenian
religious and historical monuments, and continuing to hold captive
Armenian prisoners of war 10 months after the end of the conflict in
violation of international law and the agreement signed by the heads
of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia on Nov. 9, 2020.
At every opportunity, citizens of Armenia should remind the foreign
ambassadors accredited to Yerevan the inacceptable participation of
their colleagues in Azerbaijan in the Shushi tour. Similarly,
Armenians living in the offending ambassadors’ countries should
express their displeasure to their governments. By continuing to
complain about this visit, Armenians will ensure that these countries
and their ambassadors in Azerbaijan will think twice before they agree
to participate in other propaganda activities on behalf of Azerbaijan.
The only proper response to Azerbaijan’s PR actions is for the
Armenian government to organize a tour of Stepanakert, Artsakh, for
the foreign ambassadors accredited to Yerevan. Will the Armenian
government dare to make such a move and will it succeed in carrying it
out? However, before embarking on such an initiative, Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan must fill the post of foreign minister which has been
vacant for two months.
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2- Constitutional Court Upholds Armenian Election
(RFE/RL)—Armenia’s Constitutional Court on Saturday, July 17 rejected
opposition demands to overturn official results of the June 20
parliamentary elections which gave victory to Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan’s party.
The court upheld the vote results in response to separate appeals
lodged by opposition alliances led by former Presidents Robert
Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan and two smaller groups that failed to win
any seats in the Armenian parliament.
The four opposition forces alleged serious irregularities which
seriously affected the election outcome. In particular, they accused
Pashinyan of abusing his government levers, bullying opposition
activists and resorting to “hate speech” during the election campaign
and forcing military and security personnel to vote for his ruling
Civil Contract party.
Opposition representatives presented what they called evidence of the
alleged violations during court hearings on the appeals that began on
July 9 and lasted for six days.
The Constitutional Court also questioned representatives of the
Central Election Commission, the Armenian government and Pashinyan’s
Civil Contract party. They all dismissed the opposition allegations as
baseless.
Pashinyan and his political allies maintain that the snap elections
were free and fair, pointing to their largely positive assessment by
European election observers. The latter concluded in a preliminary
report that the vote was “competitive and generally very
well-managed.”
The court’s refusal to cancel the vote results was announced by its
chairman, Arman Dilanian. He said the ruling will be fully publicized
in due course.
It was not immediately clear whether all of the court’s nine judges
agreed with the decision. Five of them, including Dilanian, took the
bench after the 2018 “velvet revolution” that brought Pashinyan to
power.
Representatives of Kocharian’s Hayastan alliance and Sargsyan’s Pativ
Unem bloc said they expected such a ruling. They claimed that it was
handed down under strong government pressure.
Six weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in
September and November 2020 claimed more than 6,500 lives. The
eventual Russian-brokered ceasefire also saw Yerevan cede to Baku
swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.
Opposition parties have accused Pashinyan of mishandling the war and
the truce terms were seen in Armenia as a national humiliation,
leading to protracted street protests.
Nevertheless, according to the CEC, Pashinyan’s party won 53.9 percent
of the vote, followed by Hayastan that got just over 21 percent. Pativ
Unem came in a distant third with 5.2 percent. None of the 22 other
parties and blocs that participated in the polls did well enough to be
represented in the new National Assembly.
Citing a complex legal formula, the CEC has given 71 parliament seats
to Civil Contract, compared with 29 and 7 seats to be held by Hayastan
and Pativ Unem respectively. The two opposition forces challenged not
only the official results but also the distribution of the 107
parliament seats, saying that it unfairly benefits the ruling party.
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3 – GALAS-LA to Host Inaugural ‘Queernissage’:
Armenian Outdoor Market Featuring LGBTQ+ Vendors, Allies
On Saturday, July 24, the Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society (GALAS-LA)
will host its first-ever Queernissage: an open-air pop-up market by
LGBTQ+ Armenians and allies. Queernissage is an homage to Vernissage,
the open-air market in Armenia that has been a gathering place for
artists and merchants for decades. Through Queernissage, “we aim to
create a space for our community members to express and share their
creativity with each other and with our supporters.” There are some 30
vendors who are showcasing their visual art, artisanal food, books,
music, prints, jewelry, pottery, to delicious treats and drinks and
other unique items that would make great additions to ones home or
gifts for loved ones.
Queernissage willl take place on Saturday, July 24 from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m., around 4354 Tujunga Avenue in Studio City, Calif. For
information, email [email protected]; or visit
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4- Narine Avakian Honors Homeland with Artistic Tribute to
Dadivank Monastery
(“The Artsakh war awakened a desire in me to make a promise to myself
— the promise of contributing to Mother Armenia more frequently and in
more direct ways in the future. While shuffling through posts and
reading the horrific stories about our soldiers’ fate, a photograph of
Dadivank monastery taken by Dr. Haig Aintablian gave me an immense
moment of inexplicable peace and comfort amidst all the chaos,” said
Southern California resident Narine Avakian.
Aintablian flew to the front lines from California to provide medical
care to our soldiers. “The photograph awakened in me a spark of warm
light during our darkest days, I wanted to pay it forward in my own
ways,” said Avakian.
Along with in-kind donations, Avakian announced on June 27 that the
painting of Dadivank was sold to an individual who wishes to remain
anonymous at this time. “We thank our buyer tremendously. An amount of
$3000 was gathered and directed towards Armenia,” said Avakian, who
posted a receipt from Alen Avetisyan, the director of the school, who
has been giving Avakian updates on the progress. “I am impatiently
looking forward to the completion of the stage as well as the costumes
that will be made so that the children can bring theatrical
performances to life.
Avakian’s efforts were more than just for her love of the homeland.
They were in memory and honor of a recently departed friend—the
beloved, talented actor Maro Yergainharsian Ajemian, “a friend of ours
and a very talented actress who dedicated years of her life enriching
the Armenian community in Los Angeles through her deep love for
theater.”
“My hope is that we continue to cultivate the interconnected roots of
science, art and literature in order to generate a more prosperous
Armenia. Garmir, Gabouid, Dziranakouin (Red, Blue, Yellow-Orange),
white and black were the only five pigments used in developing the
painting. The great writer William Saroyan said once if two Armenians
were to meet, they would create a new Armenia. To that, I wish to add
that the colors of our flag, when combined together, would create a
multitude of new visions and worlds,” said Avakian. “I also want to
note that I am open to further painting commissions and will continue
to donate a portion of the sales to students and future professionals
in Armenia. I want to thank you all in advance,” said Avakian. For
more information, visit @narberry on Instagram.
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5- Lark Establishes Endowment Fund
With $280,000 Donation from Onnik and Kristine Keshishian
GLENDALE— Through the generous donation of $280,000 by Onnik and
Kristine Keshishian, Lark Musical
Society announced Wednesday that it will establish its very first
endowment fund.
“We will remain forever grateful to them, who have long been
supporters of the Lark Musical Society,” said Andy Torosyan, the
chairman of Lark’s Board of Directors in a statement.
As educators who have taught in various universities and opened and
actively run Armenian schools in California, the Keshishians have
enthusiastically encouraged Lark’s educational activities. Onnik
Keshishian has been a director of Lark’s Armenological studies. There
he established a program for young college students and adult
participants wishing to delve deeper into the history, cultural
legacy, and spiritual journey of the Armenian people.
“We at Lark recognize the significance of this gesture—a clear
affirmation to continue the work we began three decades ago. To honor
their contributions and turn this gift into a lasting legacy to be
called ‘The Kevork and Eugénie Keshishian Endowment Fund,’ a first
step in ensuring our continued financial viability,” announced
Torosyan.
The organization also announced that the concert hall of the new Lark
Cultural Center will be named Kevork and Eugénie Keshishian Hall,
after Onnik Keshishian’s parents who themselves were significant and
generous contributors to the Armenian communities of Jerusalem,
Beirut, and Los Angeles.
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6- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
Armenia is continuing the fight against the third wave of COVID-19
cases, as the country continues promoting the vaccination phase.
There were 4,526 active cases in Armenia as of July 19. Armenia has
recorded 227,522 coronavirus cases and 4,569 deaths; 218,427 have
recovered.
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